Kingdom Come - A New Jesus Film Being Made in New Zealand

Dean Wright, the Kiwi in charge of visual effects for the last two Lord of the Rings films and the first two Narnia films, is to direct a film about the life of Jesus. Kingdom Come is scheduled for filming at various locations across New Zealand in the spring (2009).

The film, which at least one source says will be an "epic" with a "big budget", is being produced by South Vineyard, whose sparse website suggests that they are first timers. Having made their money in software company GrapeCity, South Vineyard's three, Japanese-based directors, will also act as executive producers.

There's quite a bit of news on this one down under, particularly amongst the local media. Outlets have been reporting how Lake Benmore (pictured above) will stand in for the Sea of Galilee, one of the majors sets will be in Wellington suburb Maupuia and how a herd of pigs from Waitomo will presumably being driven off a cliff somewhere near Wellington. There's also some video news footage on the casting of extras, although they seem try to wring out more humour from the story than I think is actually there.

The aim is for the film to be released in 2010, although production has been delayed by a couple of weeks. There's no news yet on who is to play Jesus.

Incidentally, I think this is the first Jesus film to be made in Oceania even though the money is coming from American and Japanese business men. I guess this is the reverse of the situation with The Passion of the Christ where an Australian put up the money to make a film in the US (though it was filmed in Italy).

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Bella Star to play Peter in Kingdom Come

Eduardo Verástegui is slated to play the role of Peter, in the upcoming movie on the life of Christ- Kingdom Come. Eduardo Verástegui is known for his great role in the successful independent film, Bella. He has played in some very racy roles before, but has stated that he had become a Christian and would dedicate his life to living for Jesus.

One would only have to visit his website, to see that he has indeed made a u-turn and trying to affect culture positively for Christ. Ironically, he joined Jim Caveziel in several charity events.

This casting rumor would make sense as Eduardo Verástegui can grow a beard to fit the role and is a very passionate actor. We will keep our eyes and ears open on this one. I could also see him playing Jesus Christ.

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Adrien Brody to play in Kingdom Come 2010

According to New Zealand newspaper Sunday Star Times, Adrien Brody, the award winning actor from the acclaimed “The Pianist”, is rumored to have been pegged to play a role in the 2010 Kingdom Come feature.

He is notable as the youngest actor ever to receive an Academy Award for Best Actor and the only American actor ever to win a César Award. Adrien would be a great addition to a cast that must be able to play roles of conviction and emotion. He was very impressive in The Pianist and even in King Kong.

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Lee Boardman of HBO Series “Rome” to play Matthew

According to Lee Boardman’s IMDB page, he is set to play the role of the Tax Collector turned follower of Jesus, the apostle Matthew in the upcoming film, Kingdom Come in 2010.

Lee Boardman is mostly known for his role as Timon in the HBO Series “Rome”. I do not have HBO so I have not been able to see his acting ability. However, I have heard great things.

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Bid by film-maker to extend consents

By David Bruce on Thu, 8 Oct 2009
The Regions: Central Otago



Wellington film-maker South Vineyard is looking to revive its biblical epic Kingdom Come, which it wants to film on the shores of Lake Benmore and near Duntroon.

The company, which has been experiencing difficulties financing the project, has applied to the Waitaki District Council to extend for a year resource consents it was granted in August last year to build expansive film sets at Lake Benmore's Falstone camping reserve and Elephant Rocks, Duntroon.

No decision has yet been made on whether to grant the extension.

Kingdom Come had been on hold because of difficulties raising money during the global economic crisis, and problems confirming actors and actresses and distribution rights.

Director-producer Dean Wright said yesterday the project was "currently in hiatus" while the principal backers continued negotiations for funding with several key sources.

"While a worldwide distribution deal with a major studio has been secured, a confirmed production shooting schedule cannot be locked in until the overall film financing has been finalised," he said.

The Waitaki District Council yesterday confirmed it had received applications to extend resource consents for the two film sets for another year.

A decision on extending the consents would be made once payment had been received for the applications.

The extension was likely to be non-notified - not advertised for public submissions - because written approval had been received from affected parties.

The Elephant Rocks consent expired in September and the Falstone consent was due to expire next month.

Details of the film emerged in August last year when South Vineyard received consents for the sets from the council.

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Fate of epic Jesus film 'in the balance'

Sunday Star Times

The fate of an epic movie about the life of Jesus, filming of which was due to start in New Zealand this month, is rumoured to be in the balance.



Dean Wright, the director of Kingdom Come, has flown to Los Angeles for talks with the writers and investors.

Sets for Kingdom Come have already been built in several locations including Lake Benmore in the central South Island and Wellington, but crews have had their Christmas break extended until January 19 as the film executives try to keep the production on track.

It is understood investors are nervous because US networks have been reluctant to buy the film from Wellington-based production company South Vineyard.

About 400 extras around the country responded last year to casting calls that called for people who could pass as Middle Eastern, Moroccan, North African or Mediterranean. Men were encouraged to turn up for auditions unshaven.

There were also pre-production delays on the film in December, which meant some employees were asked to start their Christmas break on December 12.

The latest delays only add to concerns about the project.

Tim Coddington, an Auckland-based producer who has been working on the film, said the project might still go ahead.

"We're just on an extended hiatus while they have some script rewrites done and sort through their financing things."

Casting director Liz Mullane said she was "fully optimistic" that everything would go ahead, but was unable to comment further.

The film is produced and directed by Wright, who has also worked on The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, Prince Caspian and Lord of the Rings.

Wright couldn't be contacted for comment.

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Movie filming delayed by two weeks

By David Bruce on Sat, 29 Nov 2008
Otago Times Daily



Shooting of the feature movie Kingdom Come at two North Otago sites has been delayed about two weeks by independent film-maker South Vineyard Ltd.

Two sets for the film, about the life of Jesus Christ, are being constructed at the Falstone camping reserve on the shores of Lake Benmore and Elephant Rocks near Duntroon.

Other sites around New Zealand will also be used.

The Otago Daily Times was told earlier this week about 40 people had been laid off at the Falstone site because of difficulties with funding the movie as a result of the global economic crisis, but this was denied yesterday by the film's publicist Eric Malik.

Construction of the set at Elephant Rocks had not been affected.

Mr Malik said South Vineyard had adjusted its plans for a number of reasons.

Originally, the company planned to stop building the set on December 20 during the peak holiday season at Falstone when hundreds of campers arrive.

It would resume from January 5.

Mr Malik said the "holiday hiatus" for set construction crew members had been brought forward.

All would resume their duties in early January following the holiday break when the Falstone set would be completed just as filming started.

The film-makers had decided to increase the preparation time for the movie and would now begin filming two weeks later than originally planned, on February 2.

Mr Malik said the delay was due to negotiations to distribute the film, offers to prospective cast members and a threatened strike by the Screen Actors Guild.

"Several major Hollywood studios have expressed an interest in distributing Kingdom Come as a major 2010 release, with talks between distributors and film-makers progressing to negotiations," he said.

The production was also affected by negotiations between the Screen Actors Guild and studios and producers and "a negative outcome" would affect the start date.

The Los Angeles Times reported on November 23 that negotiations had not been successful and the guild was seeking strike action approval from its 120,000 members.

The dispute is over a new labour contract with a major difference over how actors should be paid for work distributed over the Internet.

Strike action, which may not be resolved until early next year, would be costly for the film industry, the newspaper said.

Mr Malik said this uncertainty, combined with interest in the film from major United States distributors, had resulted in South Vineyard deciding to increase preparation time for the film.

South Vineyard has resource consent from the Waitaki District Council to build more than 100 facades on the Falstone set and a fishing harbour, plus filming consent.

The consent stipulated site clearance by March 27.

The sets recreate biblical villages in Israel, including the biblical site of Capernaum, on the shores of Galilee.

Lake Benmore was chosen because the outlook resembled the Sea of Galilee.

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Hundreds of hairy men try out for new movie

Hundreds of Wellingtonians lined up today for the opportunity to be part of New Zealand's latest big budget blockbuster.

Kingdom Come, a movie about Jesus Christ, will begin production next year. But if you want to be an extra, you will have to abide by the eleventh commandment thou shalt not shave. Dark hair, tans and hairy faces, no they are not describing the Warriors, it is the casting call for extras in the movie Kingdom Come which goes into production next year.

The movie will be directed by New Zealander Dean Wright who was the visual effects supervisor on the Chronicles of Narnia, he also worked on visual effects on two of the Lord of the Rings films. Today hundreds lined up in Wellington hoping to make the cut.

Producers want extras who could pass as Middle Eastern, Moroccan, north African and Mediterranean, and the men need to have full beards.

The movie producers here also know what they want their women to look like. “Not beards obviously, they will need to have darker coloured skin and dark eyes we'll see a lot of their eyes because their heads are covered generally,” says extras casting coordinator Victoria Beynon.

The movie will be filmed Wellington, central Otago, Oamaru, Motueka and Hawke’s Bay. And if you didn't make it along today there will be other casting calls, next it will be the South Island's turn.

“We'll be looking for extras constantly for the next four or five months I’d say,” says Beynon. Hundreds of extras will be employed to work on the film, which goes into production next year.

And if you're one of the men who makes the cut, throw away your razor producers say the hairier the better.

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Waitomo piggies to star in movie

Move over Babe, some Waitomo piggies are set to move to the city to star in a big-budget motion picture.

Agricultural showman Billy Black, of Woodlyn Park, has 20 Captain Cooker pigs in training for Kingdom Come, a movie about the life of Jesus Christ that is to be filmed in Wellington and the South Island next year.

A month ago the pigs had never ventured out of the bush in the backblocks of Whangamomona - now they are destined for the bright lights of the capital city. Mr Black took his pigs recently in a trailer to "animal boot camp" in Wellington.

They will stay there until Christmas before travelling to the South Island for filming next year. "I have to get them quiet so I can get them grazing out in the countryside. We're looking at getting them to swim ... apparently they have to stampede at the end, so that should be interesting." The pigs were washed in preparation for their photo shoot with the Waikato Times, "but they dug a big hole and wallowed in it overnight". They had been taught to swim, but a cold and blustery day meant apart from one unfortunate fellow, who slipped on the plank crossing the creek and fell in the drink, the pigs were reluctant to demonstrate their new talent.

"Pigs are very intelligent, they know it's cold in the water today. Usually they dive right in and swim across." Mr Black will be chief pig handler on the film shoot and as an extra, in keeping with the Bible, he will be required to grow a beard - something very foreign for a man who has always been clean shaven. The pigs are his responsibility and he will be with them most of the time, although he will fly back to Woodlyn Park at weekends. The film will be directed by Dean Wright, a visual effects supervisor on The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe and Prince Caspian. It will also be shot in rural Falstone in central Otago, Oamaru and Motueka. Lake Benmore, near Falstone, will represent the Sea of Galilee. Some scenes may also be shot in Hawke's Bay.

The film is being made by South Vineyard, whose Japan-based directors Paul and Joshua Broman and Naoyuki Baba are also executive producers for the movie.

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Jesus film comes to Wellington's suburbs

Are these the walls of Jerusalem? Empty inns at Bethlehem? A Nazareth carpentry school?

The precise ancient location might not be clear, but filmmakers are building a city on a hill in Wellington's eastern suburbs for the epic biblical movie Kingdom Come.

With the filming set to start in February, crew are buzzing around the site, where a wooden structure is taking shape near Mt Crawford prison in Maupuia. Kingdom Come production manager Brigitte Yorke confirmed the set was being built for the movie, but refused to say what it represented. Ms Yorke said the film, about the life of Jesus, was in the pre-production stages and cast members were still being finalized.

It was "highly likely" other Wellington sites would also be used for filming, she said.

The biblical village of Capernaum is already well under construction at Falstone Camp on the shore of Lake Benmore in the South Island. Filming locations in Twizel, Motueka and Hawke's Bay have also been scouted. Some scenes would be filmed in Peter Jackson's Stone St studios in Wellington, Ms Yorke said.

Kingdom Come is being produced by a company called South Vineyard, whose Japan-based directors are software executives Paul and Joshua Broman and Naoyuki Baba. Joshua Broman told The Dominion Post from Japan yesterday the filmmakers were hoping to fly "under the radar" for a while, and refused to give any details about the project. The film's budget is not known.

Kingdom Come publicity manager Ernie Malik said "many aspects" of the Bible would be covered in the film. Filmmakers held casting calls throughout New Zealand last month, asking for "hairy men with Middle Eastern and Mediterranean features".

Motueka's information centre has reported being asked for accommodation for 250 people a night in February - more than the town's 200-bed capacity.

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Sea of Galilee coming to Otago

A sea of Galilee fishing village and harbour is coming to the shores of Lake Benmore courtesy of a feature film about the life of Christ.

Filming of the independent film Kingdom Come, which will employ up to 400 people, is scheduled to begin about the middle of February.

Construction of the set is expected to start shortly at the Falstone camping reserve on the lake's Haldon Arm. The Falstone area and Lake Benmore were chosen by Wellington-based film company, South Vineyard Ltd, after an extensive search throughout New Zealand for a lake environment that best depicted a location on the Sea of Galilee in Israel.

"The outlook from this location provided the closest authenticity to the actual location," according to a resource consent application by South Vineyard to the Waitaki District Council.

It is understood at least one other North Otago site was being considered for the film. The production is expected to bring major financial benefits for the Waitaki District Council and communities around Lake Benmore. However, both the council and Waitaki Development Board, which have been working closely with South Vineyard on the project, were tight-lipped yesterday.

The board and council said they could not comment because of a confidentiality clause in the contract until the production company officially announced the project was going ahead. Yesterday, Kingdom Come production manager Brigitte Yorke confirmed filming would take place "in Otago, as well as other regions of the North and South Islands".

"The film is still in its very early stages of pre-production. Filming is scheduled to commence in early 2009," she said. Other details would be confirmed later. The resource consent application shows more than 100 facades will be built to simulate the single- and double-storeyed buildings in the biblical site of Capernaum.Dean Wright, who was involved with major productions such as the two Chronicles of Narnia films and Lord of the Rings, is listed as producer-director.

The reserve is usually occupied by hundreds of people during the Christmas holidays and, to cater for campers, set construction by the film company will cease on December 20 and recommence on January 5. Campers will still be able to use the area not being used by the film crew.The Falstone Camp Society had been consulted and indicated support for the project.

A meeting was also planned with campers to outline the project and address any concerns.Rumours of a major film at Lake Benmore had been circulating in North Otago for about two months, but nothing could be confirmed until it was raised at Tuesday's Waitaki District Council meeting by Cr Struan Munro.A search of resource consent applications filed with the Waitaki council turned up approval for a non-notified land use consent to South Vineyard Ltd for the Falstone camping reserve.

Construction of the set and facilities is expected to finish about the middle of February, with filming through to March 5. The set would then be removed and the site restored by the end of March.

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Biblical epic relocates on southern New Zealand lake

New Zealand’s picturesque southern Lake Benmore, in the central South Island, will be recast as the Sea of Galilee in a new major film project set to begin production soon. The makers of 'Kingdom Come', a film on the life of Christ, have chosen a reserve on the shores of Lake Benmore as the place to recreate the historic village of Capernaum.

Media liaison for the film-maker Southern Vineyards Ltd, Ernie Malik, said the Falstone reserve site was chosen for the movie because "it worked in a physical sense". The shape and contour of the Lake Benmore shore worked well to replicate the Sea of Galilee in Israel where Capernaum, mentioned in the Gospels of Matthew and Luke, was located, he said. Village recreation
Set constructors are building more than 100 facades to recreate the village on part of the reserve. Construction will also include a fishing harbour in the lake.

Lake Benmore was artificially created in the 1960s as part of a hydro-electricity scheme. It is New Zealand’s second largest man-made lake, and the country’s second largest hydro-electric station. Other New Zealand locations will include Oamaru and Motueka, in the South Island, the capital city Wellington, and possibly Hawkes Bay, on the North Island’s eastern coast. Casting calls
Production work on 'Kingdom Come' is due to begin in February 2009. The first casting calls for hundreds of extras have been announced, with Peter Jackson’s Wellington film studios advertising for "a large number of extras" for shooting early next year in Wellington.

The producers are seeking men and women aged 18 and over who are, "or could pass" as Middle Eastern, Moroccan, North African and Mediterranean with dark hair and skin, or a tan. Men need to have or be prepared to grow beards for the film. Big budget film
'Kingdom Come' will be directed by Dean Wright, a visual effects supervisor on 'The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe' and 'Prince Caspian'. The big-budget film is being made by South Vineyard whose Japan-based directors are also executive producers for the movie.

The three men - Paul and Joshua Broman, and Naoyuki Baba - run a multinational software company, GrapeCity.

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